James DeGale: Gold and blubber

The British boxer won glory in Beijing. His fight now is to lose the post-Games pounds

Since punching his way to a surprise gold medal in Beijing, James "Chunky" DeGale has been wrestling with the same weighty question faced by all Olympic boxing champions. Should he continue as an amateur and defend his middleweight medal in London in 2012, or should he go for the big bucks and turn professional?

He's expected to make an announcement this week amid talk of £1.8m deals from the likes of Frank Warren, the boxing promoter who marshalled the careers of Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton. It's a tough call for a 22-year-old who, until a few months ago, was earning just £1,000 a month and still lives with his parents.

"To stand on that podium in China with a gold medal round my neck as they played the national anthem was the best thing to ever happen to me," he says. "But to go pro now and be secure